it is still a beautiful world
by FushingStar
Summary: In which Naruto learns that Sasuke has a daughter and he tries not to develop an aneurysm from the shock. Kidfic, sort of.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: it is still a beautiful world.**  
>Rating: <strong>PG, Gen  
><strong>Wordcount<strong>: ~1,600  
><strong>Warning: <strong>Unbetaed. Future boyxboy  
><strong>Notes:<strong> This was written for a prompt in naruto_meme. Fic is set ten years after the current arc. :)  
><strong>Summary<strong>: In which Naruto learns that Sasuke has a daughter and he tries not to develop an aneurysm from the shock. Kidfic.

* * *

><p>It was a Tuesday morning when the ANBU realized that Uchiha Sasuke hadn't been seen for the past twenty-four hours. By noon, a search was conducted throughout Konoha, and by evening that same day, Sasuke's name was back on the missing nin's list.<p>

Uzumaki Naruto, who had just returned from a two-week S-class mission, was not pleased. With his bag still packed and his whole body still stinking of sweat, blood and dirt, he went straight to Tsunade and asked permission to find and drag Sasuke's ass back to Konoha.

Tsunade said no and said she had already dispatched a group of jounin to find him. Naruto went home, took a quick bath and ate ramen for dinner. The next morning, he went back to Tsunade, asked permission to find Sasuke and still got refused.

They did this for the next four days.

By the fifth day, the group of jounin returned with no news of Sasuke's whereabouts. (They did, however, came back with seven different rumors on who exactly the mistress of the Frost country's Feudal Lord was. Naruto was not amused, although he was pretty sure that fifth woman sounded really outrageous. Eating blades for a living to impress the Feudal Lord? Pft, stupid things people do nowadays.)

Tsunade still did not allow him to look for Sasuke though. Instead, she gave him another week-long mission. Naruto accused her of distracting him. He whined! Complained! And pouted! But he still did the mission anyway because Tsunade was damn scary. He finished it in four days.

When Naruto returned home, there was a message from Gaara waiting for him. Apparently, one of his ninjas saw someone that fits Sasuke's profile somewhere past the Rock Country borders. He wasn't sure about it though because during that time, he already got bitten by a poisonous spider that induced hallucinations. Nonetheless, he still felt the need to share the information with his Kazekage. Naruto quickly wrote back a thank you letter and brought Gaara's message to Tsunade (after making sure the part of the hallucinations was properly erased).

Tsunade finally, though still very reluctant, gave Naruto the mission to bring back Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke had a two-week head start, but Naruto wasn't that worried. Sasuke was an idiot and Naruto was an amazing ninja so he was sure he could catch up with him in no time. He guessed it would take him a week at most to complete his mission.

With this thought in mind, Naruto started his journey.

* * *

><p>Two weeks flew by and Naruto was losing Sasuke's trail by the second.<p>

* * *

><p>A month. A fucking month had passed by since Sasuke disappeared from Konoha and Naruto had no idea where he could be.<p>

Naruto was going to kill Sasuke when he finds him. He missed his bed. He missed his friends. He was starting to go insane without the taste of Ichiraku's ramen in his mouth.

* * *

><p>Two months.<p>

Sasuke was going to _die_, Naruto thought darkly.

* * *

><p>The sign simply said <em>Ramen<em>, and Naruto momentarily forgot _everything_. He followed the directions and a few moments later, came across a stall in the middle of a busy street, and Naruto thought he might die of happiness.

An hour and ten bowls of ramen later, Naruto stretched his arms and yawned. He looked around to observe his surroundings and realized he didn't know where he was. He walked back inside the ramen stall.

It was a small civilian village, Naruto would later find out after talking with the ramen stall owner. No ninjas in sight. He looked around at his surroundings as he walked. No samurai either. Just plain, common folks walking around and talking. Most probably, their only source of protection from attacks was the village men and their various farming equipments. As he walked he saw one existing school, a couple of grocery store that competed across each other and a river that flowed just at the north end of the town. The marketplace was bustling with life, children were running after each other, screaming in delight, and the village just exuded tranquility.

It didn't seem the kind of place Sasuke would hide in though which meant that Naruto was as close as to finding Sasuke's whereabouts as he did the first time he started his mission. This was the problem with ninja geniuses. If Sasuke didn't want to be found, he will not be found. But no matter. Uzumaki Naruto was one badass ninja and if he was to drag Sasuke back to Konoha, then he will do everything in his power to find him, even if it meant combing through every corner of every streets in every town, doing nightly stakeouts and spending every single second of his time in -

"What. The. Fuck." came an angry voice behind him.

Naruto froze and, he felt, so did time. He closed his eyes, tried to control the surge of emotions that were bursting to erupt at the sound of that very familiar voice (_anger, frustration, betrayal)_, and slowly turned around.

There he was, Uchiha Sasuke, standing in front of him wearing an utterly pissed and disbelieving expression and it took Naruto all of his power not to hit him.

"How the fuck did you find me?" Sasuke hissed.

And there went Naruto's self-control.

"You fucking bastard," Naruto said, because Sasuke ran away _again_and this was what he had to say? He lunged at him with a blur, raised his right arm to punch him in the face, except Sasuke had always been a tad faster than him, even when they were both younger and Sasuke caught his wrist.

"Naruto," Sasuke snarled as he tightened his grip around Naruto's wrist, his Sharingan slowly swirling dangerously. "Stop it or I will kill you ten times over."

"Oh is that what you say to someone who saved your ass before?" Naruto growled as he clenched his caught hand, ready to make a seal. "You ungrateful, lying, complete bas-"

And Naruto suddenly stopped.

A pair of the hugest brown eyes peeked out from behind Sasuke's right shoulder and blinked sleepily at him.

Naruto stared.

The eyes stared back at him.

Sasuke seemed to realize the staring contest going on because he released Naruto's wrist and adjusted a piece of cloth wrapped around his torso that Naruto didn't notice before. When he turned slightly, Naruto caught sight of a baby girl hugging Sasuke's back, carefully wrapped in that sling cloth. The baby girl had midnight black hair tied in pigtails, the same sharp nose like Sasuke's, and even the same cheekbones.

Except for the brown eyes, there was no denying that she was obviously an Uchiha.

Naruto's mouth opened.

"Shut up," Sasuke muttered as he patted the girl's head.

Naruto, obviously, did no such thing.

"That's a baby," Naruto said slowly.

"I know."

"Sasuke, that's a _baby_."

The corner of Sasuke's lips twitched in irritation.

"You have a baby on your back," Naruto said, just in case Sasuke didn't know.

"Naruto," Sasuke said in a warning tone.

"And she looks exactly like you," Naruto slowly continued.

Sasuke didn't say anything, just watched him and waited. Naruto's mouth opened and closed soundlessly as his brain processed this information.

"Fuck," he said when the realization hit him. Sasuke glared at him and reached up to pat her ears protectively. Naruto didn't notice. He staggered slightly backwards and clutched at his stomach. "Fuck."

It was a surreal experience. Naruto had always known that reviving the Uchiha clan was Sasuke's second goal in life, but considering what happened with his first goal - killing Itachi and all, everything was overshadowed by Sasuke's revenge, and rebuilding the clan was something Naruto had never really, _really_ thought about. But seeing Sasuke now with a baby on his back - well, he didn't know what to think. He watched as Sasuke rubbed her arm affectionately and he knew this was real, that he wasn't dreaming and that Sasuke would do anything in this world for her.

It's a good thing, Naruto hoped. Because this time, Sasuke didn't leave them for vengeance.

Except.

Sasuke. With a baby.

What the fuck.

It took a few more moments before Naruto could gather his thoughts and not hyperventilate from shock. He stared at her again who met his gaze as she sucked on her thumb.

"What's her name?" he finally asked.

Sasuke looked at him suspiciously. "Hikari," he said.

"It's… it's a beautiful name," Naruto offered, because what else there was to say?

"I didn't name her," Sasuke said automatically. He fell silent. "But thank you."

Naruto took a step forward, eyeing Hikari carefully. "Can… I touch her?"

"She's not a dog, idiot," Sasuke scowled.

"No she isn't," Naruto agreed. Swallowing hard, he slowly reached out his hand, palms up as he held it in front of her. Sasuke was letting out a tense aura but Naruto ignored him. Instead, he drew in a sharp intake of breath, waiting, as she stared at his hand in a long, excruciating silence.

"You're scaring her," Sasuke began. But then, she lifted her hand and touched Naruto's palm.

A look of surprise passed Sasuke's face very briefly. Naruto would have smugly pointed that out but he was too busy letting out a sigh of relief. _This is Sasuke's daughter_, he thought. _This is his flesh and blood_.

_Unbelievable. _

He bent his head down and flashed a big smile. "Hello," he said cheerfully. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, the most awesome ninja in the world. I'm your father's best friend, so… let's be friends too, yeah?"

Silence.

Hikari blinked her brown eyes at him before she slowly wrapped her hand around his forefinger and squeezed once. She looked so innocent and pretty, Naruto couldn't help but beam at her.

"I think that's a yes," he said.

"I think she was trying to tell you you're a moron," Sasuke answered, but visibly relaxed when Hikari snuggled against his back.

Naruto huffed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: it is still a beautiful world  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 2/?**  
>Wordcount<strong>: ~4400  
><strong>Warning: <strong>Unbetaed, future boyxboy, language  
><strong>Notes:<strong> Apparently, not a oneshot anymore. **Updates would be sporadic though**.  
><strong>Summary<strong>: In which Naruto learns that Sasuke has a daughter and he tries not to develop an aneurysm from the shock. Kidfic.

* * *

><p>Getting Sasuke to invite him inside his house was like coaxing a wild, hungry tiger to give up a piece of meat it had just found.<p>

"Why won't you let me in?" Naruto was yelling from outside Sasuke's front door. "I cannot believe you won't let me in!"

People were starting to look at him but Naruto didn't care. He pounded against the door.

"Sasukeeeeee! How could you leave me here outside? Open the door and let me in," he shouted. "Sasukeeeeee! Sasukeeeeee!" He paused. "Seriously, I could do this all day. Sasukeeeeee!"

A group of women paused and whispered at each other.

"I've been traveling for months looking for you," he shrieked. "Can you imagine the horror I went through all those time? I haven't eaten a decent bowl of ramen, you ungrateful bastard! I'm still having nightmares because of it!"

There was no answer.

"Look, I'm not going to leave if that's what you want," Naruto shouted even louder because Sasuke hated noise, "because I promised Tsunade-baachan I'm going to bring your sorry ass back to Konoha and I never go back on my word! So, just let me in so we could talk and I promise I'll help you find a decent house where you and Hikari could live together and I'll even baby-sit her if you have missions if you're worried about her -"

The door opened and there was a murderous expression on Sasuke's face when he suddenly grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him inside the apartment. Naruto was about to open his mouth but Sasuke pushed him back against the door and there was a cold, glinting kunai pressed dangerously against his throat.

Naruto glared.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

A moment of silence passed.

"You are a fucking moron and I will murder you later in your sleep," Sasuke said before letting go of Naruto and walked away.

Naruto gently rubbed the skin where the kunai had been pressed and frowned. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded as he followed Sasuke.

"I was trying to put Hikari to sleep and you were being obnoxious," Sasuke said when Naruto caught up with him.

"Oh." Naruto looked ashamed for a second. Then, he bristled. "Well it's your fault. I was just trying to -"

_Squeak. _

Naruto glanced down. He had stepped on a toy plastic duck. He bent down to pick it up, then took a good look around. In the middle of the room that Sasuke led him stood a wooden baby crib with a skyblue comforter and a couple of pink pillows. On the couch were piles of baby supplies, bright stuff toys and more baby clothes. Sasuke lifted Hikari from the crib; her brown eyes were heavy-lidded and tired.

He tried to imagine Sasuke buying all these things for her but failed when his brain kind of died at the image.

"Naruto."

Naruto looked up and saw Sasuke looked at him. Hikari was snuggled against his chest, her head was resting on his shoulder and facing the other way as Sasuke rubbed her back gently.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto crossed his arms and remembered the moment when he first learned that Sasuke left Konoha. He never believed for a second any of those gossips he heard about Sasuke leaving to betray Konoha again, but he did felt betrayed as a friend, because seriously, Sasuke should have known by now that their friendship isn't expendable, no matter how many times Sasuke refused to acknowledge him as his best friend. Naruto had already invested all his feelings for this stupid bastard since that first day they met when they were both kids, and it wasn't likely to disappear just because Sasuke decided to go out and have a baby of his own.

"You left," Naruto said carefully, because he could understand the part about Hikari. What he didn't get was why he wasn't informed of it.

Sasuke's face was unmovable. "I did."

Naruto clenched his hand. "Why?"

Sasuke adjusted his grip on Hikari. "Isn't it obvious?"

"I mean," Naruto said irritably, "why didn't you tell me? Why keep it a secret?"

Sasuke was quiet.

Naruto gestured at Hikari. "She's, what? Almost one? I don't recall you meeting a girl you like and planning to have a family because if you did, I'm pretty sure I would have remembered!"

"Seven months," Sasuke said.

"What?"

"She's seven months old," Sasuke repeated. "And I didn't - it wasn't planned. Hikari. It was -" He stopped because she let out a small whimper and Sasuke tucked her closer. When she quieted down, he met Naruto's gaze defiantly but didn't say anything more. End of subject, it seemed. And no matter what Naruto did, if Sasuke didn't want to do something, he wouldn't. Just like when he tried to stop Sasuke from leaving all those years ago but -

Naruto shook his head, mentally clearing his mind from these thoughts. No, that was the past. No use over thinking about something that could never be undone.

And this was why he hated Sasuke sometimes. He could be the worst bastard in the world and would never give you an inch of pity, but he was still the same Sasuke who gave Naruto a damn when no else did, and Naruto always thought that was reason enough to forgive him every time he made a mistake.

Maybe when other people kept telling him he's an idiot, they have a slight point. Maybe. But only slightly.

Naruto sighed and walked over to the couch to throw the duck with the other toys. "Do I know her mother?" he asked.

"No."

"_Right_." Naruto straightened up and turned to frown at him.

"You really don't," Sasuke said.

"Uh-huh. So where is she?"

"She's dead."

Naruto stared. Sasuke was a ninja who could kill a person in fifteen different ways without using any weapon. They walk with death as their constant companion. These facts Naruto knew. And now, here he was, calmly and even soothingly putting his daughter to sleep as he talked about the mother of his child, saying '_She's_ _dead'_ like he didn't even care.

Maybe he really didn't. Or maybe he did once but things happened and their relationship fell apart or something, but still. _Still _that didn't give him the right to show apathy to the woman who bore him his child.

"I'm torn between shoving a rasengan in your stomach and punching you senseless right now," Naruto told him.

Sasuke snorted. "You could try," he said, uncaring. He turned and gently put a sleeping Hikari back in her crib. He tucked a pillow on her side which she hugged tightly. He stared at her for a long time before he reluctantly faced Naruto.

"You're going back to Konoha," Naruto said resolutely. "Both of you."

"Don't be stupid," Sasuke said.

Naruto spluttered. "How," he demanded, "is that stupid?"

Sasuke grabbed his arm and led him out of her room. "God, are you really this loud? I swear if she wakes up wailing because of your goddamn voice, I'm going to rip your throat out and feed it to the dogs."

"You could try," Naruto mimicked Sasuke's earlier words. Sasuke suddenly dropped his hand when they were safely out of earshot and glared at him. Naruto planted his feet firmly on the ground. "You left without telling anyone. That's a criminal offense and _another_ splotch to your record. So tell me who's stupid now?"

"I don't care." Sasuke crossed his arms. "No one was supposed to find me anyway. Especially you. How the fuck did you find me anyway? I made sure I left no trail."

"You have no idea," Naruto muttered. Aloud, he said, "Well. I'm the next Hokage. I can find anyone I want if I put my mind into it."

Sasuke watched him for a moment. "You've been looking for me for months and you just accidentally came across this town, didn't you?" he asked shrewdly.

Naruto's jaw dropped. "T-That's crazy. You're crazy!"

"You said it so yourself earlier, when you were shouting outside my house. You've been traveling for months," Sasuke said.

Naruto wasn't sure he said something like that he knew Sasuke wouldn't believe him anyway. "Well," he huffed. "I still found you, didn't I? And it's obviously because of my ninja skills. Don't think otherwise."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Sasuke said seriously. "Now, I've let you in. You found me. Congratulations. You can go home now."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "No," he exclaimed in frustration. "Geez, why are you being so difficult? It's not like you can't bring her back to Konoha! I'll talk to Tsunade and -"

"Because I can't," Sasuke snapped. "Don't you see? I can't let anyone know about her. I'm trying to keep her safe -"

"Right, because telling me about your secret child would put her in trouble," Naruto said sarcastically.

"We're fucking ninjas," Sasuke exploded, hitting the wall beside him with his fist. "We're assassins. We're hired killers! And me, I'm fucking Uchiha Sasuke. How many enemies do you think I have, Naruto? I'm a wanted criminal in over five countries and I would have been executed without you and Konoha's help. How the hell do you think I could take care of Hikari in a village like Konoha where a war could break out any moment? How could you make sure that a fucking civilian wouldn't attack my daughter in exchange for the son they probably lost because of me?"

There was a ringing silence that followed.

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, then closed it because he couldn't think of anything to say. Everything Sasuke said was true. Even he couldn't deny that. "I would have still helped you," he said more quietly this time. "You know I could. And Sakura. And our friends in Konoha -Shikamaru, Chouji… We'll think up of something -"

"They're _your_ friends," Sasuke said, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "They were never mine."

"That's not true-"

"It is and you know it," Sasuke cut in. He exhaled heavily. "There's an extra futon on the room to your left but I want you out of the way tomorrow morning. Tell them whatever you want - that you kicked my ass in a fight and killed me or whatever. I don't care, just. Go."

He turned and walked away.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sasuke," Naruto called, crossing his arms. "I'll stay here until I make you change your mind."

There was the briefest pause in Sasuke's footsteps. The door to Hikari's room opened and then closed. Naruto was left standing in the hallway alone.

* * *

><p>True to his words, Naruto did not leave the next day. In fact when he woke up, he walked straight to the kitchen and stole Sasuke's miso soup as a morning greeting.<p>

Sasuke promised to do unspeakable gory things to Naruto's intestines, but Naruto just shrugged.

"You don't look very threatening," he said.

And it was true. Sasuke was sitting down with Hikari on his lap and was carefully shoving a small spoon in her mouth.

"I could kill you with my sharingan," Sasuke warned but got distracted by Hikari trying to reach for the bowl.

Naruto snorted.

"I still want you out of this house," Sasuke said.

"I know."

"But you won't go, will you?"

"Nope," Naruto answered, baring his teeth in a grin at him.

Sasuke glared at him, but Naruto merely leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table across him.

"Hello Hikari," he greeted, waving a hand. She blinked, still chewing her food. "Remember me? The awesome ninja? Naruto?"

She quietly watched him.

"No?" Naruto was disappointed. He had always thought he was unforgettable. Maybe he hadn't made an impression with her yet? He would have to work on that.

After Sasuke finished feeding Hikari, Naruto came up with an idea.

"Hey, let me take care of her."

Sasuke spun around and stared at him like Naruto had just announced he was giving up being a hokage. "_What_?"

Naruto pointed a finger at him. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You look fucking awful. I'm surprised she's not screaming every time she sees your ugly face."

Sasuke bristled. "I am not ug -"

"When was the last time you took a proper sleep? Konoha could fit right inside the bags under your eyes."

"Naruto-"

"I bet you've never even let anyone touch her, have you, you possessive asshole."

Sasuke tugged her closer his chest. "I've had someone baby-sit her twice now, as a matter of fact," he said. When Naruto just snorted, Sasuke's face looked tired. "What the fuck do you want this time? Don't think this would make me want to go back to your village in any way."

"Not even for the free baby-sitting services Sakura and I could offer back home?" Naruto asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Black eyes narrowed. "No."

Naruto sighed. "All right," he began. "Okay, here's a compromise. I'm really willing to look after her while you… I don't know, take a rest or do something for your self for once."

"Why?" Sasuke asked warily.

"What do you mean _why_?" Naruto looked baffled.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want?"

"Because you really look like shit and I'm an awesome friend, that's why," Naruto shot back. "Not everything has to have an ulterior motive behind it, bastard. _Geez_."

Sasuke fell silent for a moment. "You don't know how to take care of a baby."

"Oh, like you automatically know what to do the first time you held her?" Naruto challenged.

The Sharingan swirled in Sasuke's eyes briefly. "There's a reason why we Uchihas are a great clan."

Naruto stared at him then suddenly laughed. "You used your - oh, this is crazy. You actually used your _Sharingan_ to learn how to take care of a baby?"

There might have been a slight shade of red that crossed Sasuke's face, but Naruto was too busy snickering to point it out.

"Shut up. I was desperate," Sasuke muttered darkly. "It's not funny."

"Actually, it really is," Naruto told him. "So, what d'ya do? You sneaked in the nursery section of the hospital and copied the nurses' technique on how to properly put a diaper on a baby? Peeked inside a bedroom and watched how the mother feed her child to sleep?"

"Fuck off."

"You did! You actually did," Naruto said gleefully. "The great, feared eye technique of the Uchiha was used to spy on females on how to clean baby poop! I can't wait to tell this - OW!"

Sasuke had thrown a toy giraffe at his head.

"I didn't use my Sharingan that way, idiot. I didn't know anything. I had no one I could trust to help me with her. I had to do something," he retorted. He paused. "Anything."

"So you spied on those innocent mothers while their babies suckled at their ample breasts?"

Sasuke stared. "Seriously?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and gestured at himself. "Well, lucky for you. Here I am. No need to spy on females while they are on the bath with their child – OW." He glared at Sasuke who threw a stuffed toy on his head.

"I repeat," Sasuke said, "No one I could _trust_ to help me with her."

Naruto took that as an insult. "Hey, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I can do anything."

"You couldn't even clean your own room."

"That's because everything is already in their proper place," Naruto said defensively. "I mean, why move things when they're already in a more accessible location?"

"Your jacket was hanging from the ceiling."

"That was one time! And I was drunk the night before! How was I to know you're going to come by my place? You never did that before."

Sasuke sniffed in disdain. "Socks in the fridge."

"That was Kiba!"

"Your neighbor's dog was chewing on your boxers."

Naruto couldn't think up of an excuse for that one. He waved a dismissive hand. "Details. And whatever. She's going to be perfectly safe with me, you know that."

"I don't."

Naruto crossed his arms and sighed. "Look. I'm guaranteeing you five hours of uninterrupted sleep. I've seen Kurenai-sensei when her baby was born, okay? You looked worse than her."

When Sasuke still looked unconvinced, Naruto frowned. "I'm seriously getting tired of this dance, Sasuke. It's not like you're paying me to do this. I'm offering to do this as your friend."

Sasuke's gaze moved from Naruto to Hikari who was chewing on a toy. "There's a slight problem," he said. "The reason I've only gotten someone to babysit her twice was… well."

"What?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto in the eye. "She doesn't like people."

Naruto blinked. He was actually expecting something worse. "Well, duh. Considering who her father is, you really shouldn't be so surprised."

Sasuke's lips pursed. "She doesn't like to be touched by others either. She throws a tantrum. I couldn't leave her alone for long."

"Again, you have your genes to blame." Naruto walked towards them and offered out his arms. "Come on, give her to me."

Sasuke actually scoffed. "Like she'll let an idiot hold her-"

Naruto made an impatient noise as he practically forced Hikari from Sasuke's grip. He carefully adjusted her in his arms, careful not to crush her. He stared down at Hikari who had thrown away her toy and was now sucking on her thumb. She looked back at him with a huge innocent expression. Her hair was tied in a pigtails again (_haha, wonder how long Sasuke copied that technique_, Naruto thought), her cheeks were naturally rosy and it was slightly unsettling how she resembled Sasuke so much - if Sasuke had been born a girl and didn't grew up to be a crazed, homicidal bastard.

"Hiiii Hikari," Naruto said right at her face.

"I hope she kicks you in the nose," Sasuke said murderously. "Hikari, kick him in the nose."

A few moments passed but nothing happened. Hikari merely continued staring at Naruto.

"Huh," Sasuke said eloquently.

Naruto lifted a hand and wiggled his fingers in front her face. "Hellooo," he cooed. "I'm Naruto. Say Naruto. _.To_."

"Idiot, she can't speak yet," Sasuke said distractedly. Hikari used her finger to poke Naruto's cheek. Then, she traced the whisker scar in his face and her lips parted in a smile. "She… likes you?"

Naruto blew up his cheeks comically which made her giggle. "Everyone likes me. Get used to it."

"But…" Sasuke looked confused. "Why?"

"The question, Sasuke," Naruto said as he carried Hikari and headed for her room, "is why wouldn't she?"

* * *

><p>Taking care of a baby, Naruto realized, was more difficult than fighting that fake Madara during that the fourth great Ninja War. At least then, he had his Sage Mode to rely on. But now? One wrong move and Naruto could <em>die<em> because he had no doubt Sasuke would be more than willing to skewer him alive if he woke up to the sound of his daughter crying.

Right now though, Hikari wasn't throwing a tantrum. She wasn't even crying. But she was staring at Naruto and he could have sworn she hadn't blinked once since they left Sasuke in the kitchen thirty minutes ago.

It was getting really unnerving.

"What?" he asked because he knew he was handsome, but not this much to warrant such attention from a girl her age. She didn't say anything, just slightly tilted her head.

"Do you want to eat?" He grabbed a toy spoon and pretended to put it in his mouth. "No?"

He put down the spoon and sighed. Hikari was sitting on the mat with her toys around her and he moved himself, Indian-seat style right across her. He pushed a stack of building blocks in front her. "Let's play, yeah?"

He took her hand and placed a blue block in her palm. She finally (_finally_!) took her gaze from him and looked at what she was holding. He guided it over one block and let her hand go. "See? You put them together and make them as high as you can. Like this," he said as he put another block over the stack.

A couple of seconds passed before she reached for another block and began stacking them.

Naruto made a sound of approval when she finally got the hang of it.

"I cannot believe Sasuke could give birth to a pretty, innocent thing like you," he said. He paused. "Although, I guess technically he wasn't the one who gave birth, but you know what I mean."

Hikari murmured happily as she stacked another block.

"You are going to love Konoha," he told her absently, patting her hair gently. "Konoha is a beautiful village, has your father ever told you that? We have festivals! And fireworks! Spring is gorgeous with all these sakura trees. The people there are awesome too, especially Iruka-sensei. I'll introduce you to him one day. And the ramen! The ramen by Ichiraku is the best food ever in this entire world. Have you ever tasted ramen?"

She ignored him.

"Ah well. Considering what a killjoy your father is, you probably haven't. Don't worry. We'll rectify that, immediately." Naruto nodded to himself.

Her block tower suddenly got knocked down. Naruto felt a sense of panic as Hikari stared at the fallen blocks with astonished wide eyes.

"H-Hey, don't cry, all right?" he told her when she kept blinking. But he didn't have to worry. She just reached for another block and started to stack them again. He smiled.

"Good girl," he murmured as he touched her cheek.

By afternoon, Hikari had obviously warmed up to Naruto. She was making a lot of happy noises and she had stopped staring at him like she was about to interrogate him for existing. Unfortunately, this also meant she was not shy to show her true feelings anymore.

They were back in the kitchen because he got hungry. She let out a gleeful squeal as she threw the sugar on the kitchen floor. Naruto pretended to be hysterical about this and was doing outrageous expressions with his face when he caught sight of Sasuke by the door.

"Oh," Naruto said with his finger still pressed up his nose in a piglike-manner. He quickly put his finger down when Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "How's your nap?"

"The best one I had in months," Sasuke admitted as he walked towards the dining table where Hikari was sitting on. Her face broke in a smile as she held out her arms towards him. "Hey you," he murmured as he took her in his arms and he nuzzled her cheek with his nose.

Naruto suddenly felt like he was a stranger, intruding in this moment of vulnerability that Sasuke was showing. But he was more surprised at the fact that Sasuke was actually letting _him_ see this side of him. The old Sasuke would have killed himself before he showed even a hint of weakness in front of Naruto. But now…

"It's been two days."

Naruto looked up from his thoughts. "Hm?"

"Shouldn't you be reporting back by now?" Sasuke asked as Hikari chewed the neckline of his shirt.

He had his back on him when he said this, so Naruto couldn't see whether Sasuke was casually trying to kick him out or was just plain curious why he still hadn't left. "I'll send a messenger bird tomorrow."

"Hn." Sasuke turned to look at him. "And what are you going to tell them?"

Naruto thought about his mission, how Sakura would want to be involved in this part of Sasuke's life, and the fact that Sasuke's name had returned to Konoha's Bingo book. Then, he watched as Sasuke inhaled Hikari's hair, his face completely peaceful and, Naruto dared to think, happy.

Konoha would have to wait, he decided.

"That I'm still looking for you, I suppose."

Sasuke opened his mouth, no doubt to say something scathing, but Hikari touched his cheek and traced his nose with her thumb. He briefly closed his eyes and when he opened them, he glanced at Naruto sharply. "I refuse to be in your debt, Naruto."

Sometimes, Naruto wondered what he saw in this bastard to consider him as his best friend. "I'm not asking you to," he said exasperatedly.

"But lying to Tsunade-"

"I'm not doing this for you," Naruto interrupted. "I'm doing this for Hikari."

That shut Sasuke up.

"It would be… hard for her to travel to Konoha at this stage," Naruto said awkwardly, looking at the ceiling. "And I dunno. I still have to talk to the old hag about your missing nin status so I would need time."

Silence.

"Right," Sasuke said.

Hikari suddenly made a loud irritated noise and started squirming in Sasuke's grip. He began rocking her gently but she was insistent. She twisted her body so she was half-facing Naruto and flapped her arms towards him. Naruto took a confused step forward.

"Is she-?"

"I think she wants you," Sasuke said, just as bewildered.

Naruto stretched out his arms and Hikari leaned towards him. Naruto caught her and twirled them around once and she let out a loud squeal of happiness.

"I'm impressed," Sasuke said, a little distracted as he fixed Hikari's shirt that got bunched up.

"What?"

"She really likes you," Sasuke said frowning. "Takes a lot to make her happy."

"She's not that hard to please," Naruto answered as she poked his cheek.

Sasuke hummed in disagreement. "The first girl I hired to take care of her gave up an hour after I left them together. Apparently, Hikari threw a terrible tantrum and was throwing everything she could touch at her. No one knew how she got hold of a fork when they were just in her room, but." He shrugged. "She was still crying when I got home."

"Well, she's a baby. Of course she's going to cry."

"I meant the girl whom I hired. She got bruises on her face."

"Oh."

"The second one," Sasuke paused and his expression grew slightly pinched. "Let's just say it ended worse than the first time."

Naruto grinned. "Naughty little girl, aren't we?" he said to Hikari who dimpled back at him.

"Not with you though," Sasuke continued. "Barely a few minutes from meeting you and she already liked you."

Naruto was uncertain why Sasuke was looking at him in the same way he used to when he was trying to decipher how a certain jutsu worked. Naruto merely shrugged. He grabbed her arm and blew a raspberry on her palm. She laughed and nuzzled her face in his shirt.

"Well that's good to hear because I like her too," Naruto said.

Sasuke's lips tightened but didn't answer.


End file.
